The 2013 edition of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, kicks off tomorrow in Melbourne. As the new season officially kicks off, let’s take a closer look at chances of the leading men of the tennis world in this tournament.
Novak Djokovic
The world no.1 comes into the tournament after a very successful 2012 where he won the Australian Open and the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, while sealing the No.1 ranking. He is the defending champ and having won this tournament 3 times, will be the man to beat. Given Nadal’s absence, he would be expected to reach at least the Final and should be across the net from either his US Open conqueror Andy Murray or the Swiss master Roger Federer.
Andy Murray
Some experts predict that 2013 will be the year of Andy Murray now that he has broken his Grand Slam duck following his US Open triumph last year. He has the all-round game required to do well on all surfaces and this tournament will serve as a good indicator as to how he copes with new pressure of working through the pitfalls of the draw while being a Grand Slam champion. Hardcourts are his best surface and he has already reached the Final here twice, so he will be expected to make it into the Semi Final where he is lined up to meet Roger Federer – the man he beat in the Olympics Final to win the Gold medal.
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is another player who enjoyed a highly fruitful 2012, the pinnacle of which was his 7th Wimbledon crown. Federer still has an air about him but has found the going tough since the emergence firstly of Nadal and more recently of Djokovic and Murray. His game has dropped a tad bit from the near-perfect tennis he dished out a few years ago but this drop is expected from a man who has achieved virtually everything in tennis and is also now a family man. He has enough quality to reach the Semi Final and maybe even lift the trophy but it will mean that he will have to most probably go through both Murray and Djokovic – his 2 biggest threats.
David Ferrer
With the absence of Rafael Nadal, Ferrer will be Spain’s main man Down Under. He comes into the tournament on the back of a hugely successful 2012 where he won a tour-best 7 ATP titles, including his first-ever Masters 1000 title. He is one of the fittest and most consistent performers in the men’s game, and it would be a surprise to see him not make at least the Quarter Finals. His probable Semi Final opponent would be Djokovic and it is likely that he will fall short of reaching the Final if the World No.1 is at full fitness.
The Dark Horses
With Murray’s maiden Grand Slam win, 6-foot-5 Czech powerhouse Tomas Berdych is now carrying the unenviable title of “the best player yet to win a Slam”. The hard-hitting Czech has the ability to take down a Big Four player in the Grand Slams thanks mainly to his huge forehand and serve, but has failed to follow up such wins by scalping another one of the big boys. Like Berdych, Juan Martin Del Potro has the weapons to hurt the Big Four but has found consistency to be elusive. He is slowly but surely getting back to playing the way he did in 2009, when he shocked the tennis world by toppling both Nadal and Federer to seal his maiden (and only) Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows. He would back himself against any player but would maybe like to avoid the Swiss maestro who he has a 4-17 career record against. The flamboyant Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a Finalist here in 2008, is another player who can cause an upset. Tsonga has a decent 4-9 record against the Big Four in majors, but again the question arises as to whether he can reproduce convincing performances in back-to-back matches in the latter stages of a Grand Slam. Although he can hit big, he has a tendency to drop off alarmingly in the middle of a match, something that gets easily punished by other Top 10 players.
With the depth of men’s tennis at present, there are dangerous floaters who can derail the Grand Slam quest for these 7 players. Players like Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic, Richard Gasquet and the young home favourite Bernard Tomic could spring a few surprises, especially if any of the top players are having an off-day.
